Greetings from California

Legends, Landmarks & Lore
of the Golden State

Greetings from California is a handsome, hardback coffee-table book that is a very entertaining miscellany of, as the sub-title says, the legends, the landmarks and the lore of the Golden State.

Its 160 pages contain 130 color and 100 black and white photos, most of the large color photos being from the talented author’s own library of images that have graced the pages of National Geographic, and many other prestigious places.

The other photos are fascinating archive and historic photos which, along with old postcards and some sketches, help illustrate the many curious and enjoyable stories that the author has unearthed.

Greetings from California: The Author

Gary Crabbe is a California photographer and writer, who lives near San Francisco and who also took the photos for Backroads of the California Coast. Check out his website to see just how good he is. He’s worked for the National Geographic Society, Time, the New York Times, and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History amongst others.

Bixby Bridge on the Pacific Coast Highway

The Pacific Coast Highway

The book covers the whole of California, naturally, but the Pacific Coast Highway is well-represented as it was along America’s western shore that many important historical events took place.

The book is divided into 7 geographical sections, and the coast appears in 4 of them - Northern California, Southern California, the Bay Area, and the Central Coast. The other three regions covered are the Central Valley, Sierra Nevada, and the Desert.

Each region then carries anything from 4 to 19 topics, in spreads of 1-3 pages each. But behind these mundane facts and figures, to give you an idea what you’re getting for your money, is the story of California’s incredibly diverse history, ranging from the Los Angeles Water Wars and Migrant Workers, the First Transcontinental Railroad and the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, through the Monterey Jazz Festival, and Hollywood to Silicon Valley.

From Surfing to Death Valley, from Wildlife Refuges to Alcatraz, it’s a fascinating collection of California stories, beautifully illustrated with those images old and new.

Some of the author’s full-page color shots of places like the stunning Point Reyes just north of San Francisco, the Channel Islands National Park, and Death Valley National Park, are exceptional. Well, you don’t get your work in National Geographic by being run-of-the-mill.

Alcatraz

The Birdman of Alcatraz

To focus on one example of the way the book works, there is an entertaining spread on Alcatraz. It’s enjoyable for its potted history and its period photos, but the author reveals something we never knew.

The inmate Robert Stroud, who was known as the Birdman of Alcatraz, never kept any pets of any kind in his 17 years in Alcatraz. It was forbidden. He was actually the Birdman of Leavenworth, which doesn’t sound half as good. He kept birds when he was at Leavenworth, and his nickname followed him to Alcatraz.

Not Comprehensive

The book isn’t comprehensive. There’s not a mention of Hearst Castle, for example, which surely belongs in the legends, landmarks and lore of California. But that’s not a criticism. The author’s done well to pack as much as he has into 160 pages, which are ideal for dipping into and coming out with nuggets.

Buying Greetings from California
Greetings from California by Gary Crabbe is published by the Voyageur Press. It's available on Amazon USA
and Amazon UK.

Other books pages

California Living and Eating
California Living and Eating by Eleanor Maidment is a handsome coffee table book celebrating the food and lifestyle of the Golden State with 80 tasty recipes.
California Camping Book Review
Pacific Coast Highway Travel's California Camping book review rates the 20th anniversary edition of Moon's complete guide to over 1400 tent and RV campgrounds.
Epic Drives of the World
Epic Drives of the World from Lonely Planet describes 50 of the world's most exciting road trips, including, of course, the Pacific Coast Highway.
Pacific Coast Highway Road Trips: Lonely Planet Guidebook Review
Review of the Pacific Coast Highway Road Trips book from Lonely Planet, which includes a California Driving Guide, by the Pacific Coast Highway Travel website.
Books About the Pacific Coast Highway
Books About the Pacific Coast Highway in California, Oregon and Washington including travel guidebooks, route guides, restaurant guides, and many more.
West Coast RV Parks
One of the best guides to West Coast RV Parks, covering campgrounds in California, Oregon, and Washington, is West Coast RV Camping from Moon Guides.
Gardens Of the Pacific Coast Highway
Plant lovers can visit hundreds of gardens along or near the Pacific Coast Highway,ranging from lush gardens in the Pacific North-West to southern California.
Road Food Guide
West Coast Road Eats is a road food guide covering the Pacific Coast from California through Oregon to Washington, giving the best road trip food stops.
California Backroads
Some of the best California Backroads are included in Backroads of the California Coast, with 24 highly recommended driving tours off the Pacific Coast Highway.
California Coast Guide
One of the best California coast guides is the California Coastal Access Guide, describing the coast’s beaches, National Parks, State Parks, with many maps.
Santa Barbara Guidebook
The Santa Barbara Guidebook from Moon Handbooks also covers California’s Central Coast with Ventura, San Luis Obispo, wine country, and Hearst Castle.
Free San Francisco Kindle Guide to Free Attractions
101 free San Francisco attractions and things to do are in the Kindle guide, 101 Free Things to Do in San Francisco, in the Travel Free eGuidebooks series.
Cycling the USA West Coast
Lonely Planet's Guide to Cycling the USA West Coast is a bicycling guidebook for anyone touring California, Oregon and Washington by bike.
Guide to the Olympic Peninsula
Moon's Spotlight Guide to the Olympic Peninsula covers hotels, restaurants, and sights, including Forks, the Olympic National Park and other places.
Lighthouses of the Pacific Coast
Lighthouses of the Pacific Coast, published by Voyageur Press, is a guide in words and pictures to historic lighthouses along the Pacific Coast Highway.
Green Guide USA West
The Green Guide to the USA West from Michelin covers California, the Pacific North West, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, New Mexico, and even Kansas and Alaska.
Los Angeles Travel Guide
The Los Angeles travel guide book from Lonely Planet also covers San Diego and Southern California, including Palm Springs, Santa Barbara, and Disneyland.
Vintage Hollywood
Vintage Hollywood in Los Angeles is an extract from the Lonely Planets book Culture Trails.
California Bed and Breakfast Inns
The guide to California Bed and Breakfast Inns lists over 250 boutique hotels, wine country cottages and more.
Pacific Coast Highway Moon Guide
Pacific Coast Highway Travel reviews the Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip guide from Moon covering California, Oregon and Washington
Northwest Wine Country
Northwest Wine Country is a food and wine lover's guide to vineyards, fine dining, accommodation, restaurants in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, British Columbia.
Soul of Los Angeles
Soul of Los Angeles from French publishers Jonglez is a travel guide to 30 Exceptional Experiences in California's largest city.
Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip Guide
Pacific Coast Highway Travel reviews the Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip Guide book covering the drive from Vancouver to San Diego.
Pacific Coast Highway in California
The Pacific Coast Highway in California book shows in historic photos the building of the Pacific Coast Highway from its earliest beginnings in 1911.
Coastal California Guidebook
Lonely Planet's Coastal California guidebook is the ideal travel guide for driving or cycling the Pacific Coast Highway from the Oregon border to Mexico.